Charlie was not planned. My father, Chiko and I were in Huddinge on a Saturday in April and took the opportunity to visit Chiko’s breeder to get some help with a stubborn milk tooth that didn’t reallu want to fall out. When dad bought Dino I had mentioned I was considering getting another dog in the upcoming summer, but after having thought about it a lot, and despite a strong preference for another poodle I had made the decision to let Oliver enjoy his last years without having to share me with another dog.

However, when we got there I was told there was a dog for me. My first thought was: No, I will not be getting another dog. And after Chiko’s milk tooth had been taken care of Chiko and three other half grown puppies were let out in a fenced yard to play. I thought that it would be nice for Oliver to run around a little before we set off home, and went to fetch him from the car. When we stepped into the yard with the puppies I was jumped by them all. Soon they all took off, but one puppy remianed on his back in my lap, just lying there cuddling and kissing. It was Charlie, Chiko’s brother, and he was for sale.

”We do not choose our pets, our peets choose us” one of my aunts wrote to me when I told her about my meeting with Charlie. The following Thursday Charlie was brought home. I am forever grateful to those who made it possible for this delightful dog to become mine, and for my family being entrusted with two dogs from Huffish Poodles.

Charlie and Chiko may be brothers, but they are two very different personalities. Many who meet Charlie think him to be wild, but in comparison to his brother he is a calm and careful dog. He loves to sit in my lap, likes to be carried and is happy, responsive and sweet, but underneath all affection he is a tough guy. It will be interesting to watch him develop over the next few years.

Already from the start, Charlie had to learn and adapt to an outdoor lifestyle, and he has a fantastic teacher in Oliver. Charlie got to experience his first day hike only a few days after he arrived, and that was only the starting point. Before his first birthday he had slept in both a tent and in shelters, and had hiked in the mountains.

It is exciting to watch Charlie learn and develop in the forest and the mountains. A simple thing like drinking directly from a stream or a lake was not a given, how to climb through stony areas was not easy and learning to which sounds in the night are worth paying attention too is tricky. But it is very clear that Charlie loves being an outdoor dog.